Chapter 10 - THE NIGHT THE HEIR WAS BORNRita stared at her phone.
For a moment, she wondered whether Maryjane was trying to manipulate her.
The woman who had slapped her, insulted her mother, and helped destroy her home was now asking for help.
"What truth?"
Maryjane's breathing was uneven.
"I don't know if Benedict is the father."
Rita slowly sat down.
"What?"
"Please listen."
"Are you telling me you lied to my father?"
Maryjane began crying.
"I was involved with someone before Benedict. I became pregnant around the time everything changed. I told myself the baby was Benedict's because I wanted security."
Rita closed her eyes.
She remembered her father calling her worthless.
She remembered Maryjane boasting about carrying the family's heir.
Now the truth was unraveling.
"Does Daddy know?"
"No."
"Then you need to tell him."
"I'm afraid."
Rita's voice hardened.
"You weren't afraid when you humiliated my mother."
"I know."
"You weren't afraid when you slapped me."
"I'm sorry."
Rita swallowed.
She wanted to hang up.
She wanted Maryjane to experience the consequences of her choices.
But then she heard something strange.
Maryjane gasped.
"Ah!"
Rita sat upright.
"Maryjane?"
There was a crashing sound.
"Oh God!"
"What happened?"
"My stomach..."
Maryjane cried out again.
"Rita, something is wrong!"
Rita stood.
"Where are you?"
"Near Allen Avenue. At a restaurant."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes. Daniel stepped outside to get the car."
Maryjane screamed.
Rita's anger disappeared beneath sudden fear.
"Listen to me. Call the nearest emergency service or ask the restaurant staff to get medical help. I'm coming."
She ended the call.
Felicia looked up from her work.
"What happened?"
Rita grabbed her handbag.
"Maryjane is in trouble."
Felicia frowned.
"What kind of trouble?"
"I think she's going into labor."
Felicia stood immediately.
"Then let's go."
Rita stared at her mother.
"Mommy, after everything she did to us?"
Felicia picked up her keys.
"Rita, a woman in medical distress needs help. We can deal with her behavior afterward."
Those words stayed with Rita for the rest of the night.
By the time they reached the hospital, Maryjane had already been admitted.
Daniel was pacing outside the maternity unit.
He looked relieved when he saw Rita.
"Are you her friend?"
Rita shook her head.
"I'm her husband's daughter."
Daniel froze.
Felicia stepped forward.
"How is she?"
"The doctors are examining her. They said the baby may come early."
Rita approached the nurses' station.
She provided the information Maryjane had shared and asked that her father be contacted.
The nurse explained that Maryjane was being treated for complications associated with labor and required careful monitoring.
Rita sat beside her mother.
For hours, they waited.
Daniel remained across the corridor, his hands clasped together.
Eventually, Chief Benedict arrived.
He rushed through the doors, furious.
"Where is my wife?"
Rita stood.
"She's being treated."
Benedict looked at her in surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"She called me."
He frowned.
"Why would she call you?"
"Because she needed help."
Benedict stared at Felicia.
His former wife looked calm.
"Good evening, Benedict."
He ignored her.
"Where is the doctor?"
A physician emerged from the maternity unit.
"Are you Maryjane's family?"
Benedict stepped forward.
"I'm her husband."
The doctor explained that Maryjane had delivered prematurely and was recovering under observation.
Benedict immediately asked, "And my son?"
The doctor paused.
"Your baby is receiving additional care because of the early delivery."
Benedict leaned forward.
"Is he alive?"
"Your daughter is alive, Mr. Benedict."
Silence.
Rita looked at her father.
He stared at the physician as though she had spoken a foreign language.
"My what?"
"Your daughter."
Benedict shook his head.
"No. That is impossible."
The doctor remained professional.
"Your wife delivered a baby girl. We're monitoring her breathing and feeding, but our team is caring for her."
Benedict stepped backward.
"A girl?"
Rita felt a familiar pain rising inside her.
The same disgust she had seen on her father's face when he insulted her now appeared at the birth of another daughter.
"Where is Maryjane?" he demanded.
The doctor explained where he could wait.
But Benedict didn't move.
He turned toward Rita.
"Did you know?"
Rita stared at him.
"Daddy, the baby has just been born."
"Answer me!"
"No. I didn't know she was carrying a girl."
Benedict's face hardened.
"That woman deceived me!"
Felicia stood.
"Benedict, lower your voice. Your wife and child need medical care."
He looked at her angrily.
"You stay out of this."
Felicia didn't flinch.
"I won't stay silent while you humiliate another woman for giving birth to a daughter."
Benedict pointed toward the maternity ward.
"She promised me a son!"
Rita felt tears filling her eyes.
Then she stepped forward.
"Daddy, that baby didn't promise you anything."
He turned toward her.
Rita continued.
"She didn't ask to be born. She didn't choose her gender. And she certainly doesn't deserve to be hated because you wanted something else."
Benedict's expression darkened.
"Don't lecture me."
Rita took a shaky breath.
"Then don't make me watch you reject another daughter."
For a moment, the hallway was silent.
Benedict looked from Rita to Felicia.
Then he turned and walked toward the elevator.
Rita couldn't believe it.
"Daddy!"
He didn't stop.
"Your baby needs you!"
The elevator doors opened.
Benedict stepped inside.
And disappeared.
Rita stood frozen.
Felicia placed an arm around her shoulders.
"Come, sweetheart."
They returned to the maternity unit.
A nurse eventually allowed them to see the baby through the nursery window.
She was tiny.
Her delicate hands rested beside her face.
Rita began crying.
Felicia held her daughter's hand.
"She's beautiful."
Rita nodded.
"She is."
And suddenly, Rita understood something.
That tiny girl wasn't her enemy.
She was another child who might grow up begging Chief Benedict to love her.
Rita pressed her hand gently against the glass.
"Hello, little one."
The baby moved slightly.
Rita smiled through her tears.
"I don't know what your future will look like."
She swallowed.
"But I promise you won't be worthless just because you're a girl."
Later that night, Maryjane woke up.
Her first question was about the baby.
When the nurse reassured her, she began crying with relief.
Then she asked about Benedict.
Rita hesitated.
"He's gone home."
Maryjane closed her eyes.
"He knows, doesn't he?"
"Yes."
Maryjane began sobbing.
Rita stood beside the bed.
For the first time, she saw the woman beneath the expensive clothes and cruel behavior.
She looked frightened.
Young.
And terribly alone.
"I'm sorry," Maryjane whispered.
Rita didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, "Your daughter deserves better than what happened to me."
Maryjane nodded through her tears.
"I know."
The next morning, a lawyer arrived at the hospital.
He carried an envelope addressed to Maryjane.
Inside was a notice from Chief Benedict.
He was withdrawing financial support until the child's parentage could be established.
Maryjane stared at the paper in disbelief.
Then the lawyer handed Rita a second envelope.
"This one is for you, Miss Benedict."
Rita opened it.
Her father's signature appeared beneath a formal letter.
She read the first paragraph.
Her hands began shaking.
Chief Benedict had instructed his attorneys to remove Rita and Felicia from every family-controlled financial arrangement he believed he could change.
But attached to the notice was something even more disturbing.
An updated company ownership document.
Rita recognized one of the names listed among the shareholders.
May you like
It was a name she had never expected to see connected to her father's business.
Amanda Ngozika.
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